The Rescue Failed, and the Troll Seemed a Little Dead

After a thunderous boom, a huge crater appeared in the floor of the Underground Classroom.

As it turned out, a powerful, well-aimed spell could be quite satisfying.

Look—the ferocious Troll from just moments ago had closed its eyes and curled up meekly and peacefully inside the crater...

Harry and Ron stood in the doorway, wands raised high in their hands, staring wide-eyed at everything happening in the classroom.

Hermione was the first to speak.

"Is it—is it dead?" she asked, breathing hard.

"Not yet." Glenn flicked his wand and slipped it back into his sleeve.

"It's only unconscious."

Even without wearing armor or anything like that, a Troll's thick, tough hide made it no easy feat to actually kill one.

"But a few more hits should just about do it." Glenn smiled at the three Gryffindors in the doorway.

But there was no need—after all, it was school property.

"By the way, did you come looking for me for something?"

After his shock wore off, Harry came around. "Oh, well... we came to warn you that there was a Troll in the Underground Classroom..."

But when he looked at the Troll lying on the ground, then at Glenn, who hadn't even been scratched, he suddenly realized that what he'd said sounded a little off.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say they'd come to warn the Troll that Glenn was in the Underground Classroom.

Meanwhile, Hermione hurried over and circled Glenn, making sure he really wasn't hurt.

At last, her heart, which had been in her throat, settled back down.

Nothing was more exhilarating than surviving a disaster, even when you weren't the one who'd faced it.

She was so happy that she threw her arms around Glenn.

"Miss Granger, you're squeezing the air out of me," Glenn joked.

Only then did Hermione realize she'd gone a little too far. Blushing, she let go and stepped back.

But before she could apologize, Glenn smiled and changed the subject. "Still, I'm glad you're feeling better."

Hermione paused, then smiled and nodded in reply.

Even she, who was more Ravenclaw than a Ravenclaw, had to admit that a little adventure beyond the pages of a book could be even more thrilling and uplifting.

After recovering from his fright, Ron stepped forward and covered his nose, but he couldn't help eyeing the enormous creature on the ground.

"Good heavens, it's a real Troll! I'd only ever heard Fred and George talk about them..."

Once they were sure it was safe, the children, who had never seen a Troll before, braved the smell and went closer to take a look.

After observing it for half a minute, they all reached the same conclusion: it really was ugly!

"I think we should report this to the professors right away. They'll surely..." Hermione hadn't finished when a series of heavy, thunderous footsteps sounded outside the classroom door.

Only then did they realize just how loud the commotion had been. People upstairs or downstairs must have heard the violent crashes and the Troll's roars.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall rushed into the room, with Snape right behind her and Quirrell bringing up the rear.

All three held their wands, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Professor McGonagall's face was pale, her eyes clouded by a gloom that refused to lift.

Just moments earlier, she had been searching downstairs for the Troll when she heard a sound like an earthquake.

At that moment, she knew this wasn't an ordinary Troll. They'd need to hit it hard... Ahem, use powerful magic.

At the same time, McGonagall realized that the Troll had probably attacked some disobedient student with no combat experience, since the other professors would call for help if they encountered a Troll instead of trying to face it alone.

It wasn't that the professors couldn't handle a Troll; it was just that if they could gang up on it, they wouldn't risk taking it on by themselves.

Once she realized this, she rushed toward the Underground Classroom where the sound had come from, almost flying.

"Children, get out of here at once! Leave the Troll to..."

When she saw the students' bewildered expressions, Professor McGonagall clearly spotted the creature lying in the crater on the ground—the Troll seemed a little dead.

At the sight, Quirrell let out a weak sob and clutched his chest, as if he were also weeping for joy that the students were all safe.

Snape, by contrast, seemed much calmer. His expression didn't change. He merely glanced at the students in the classroom before bending down to examine the Troll.

"Unconscious, but badly injured."

Professor McGonagall showed no joy at this news. On the contrary, her lips went white, and her expression turned angry in a way Harry and the others had never seen before.

"What on earth do you think you're playing at?" Her voice was cold with anger.

"You're lucky it didn't kill you this time, but why weren't you all safely in your dormitories? I want an explanation."

As Professor McGonagall finished speaking, Snape stood up and looked over the students in the classroom.

One Slytherin and three Gryffindors... Then his piercing gaze quickly cut to Harry.

But the next moment, a timid voice came from the shadows.

"Please don't, Professor McGonagall—they came looking for me."

Everyone turned to look at Hermione, who had her head bowed.

She was trembling, but she didn't waver.

If she hadn't let her emotions get the better of her, Glenn wouldn't have been here. Then even if the Troll had wandered around the Underground Classroom, things would never have reached this point. Hermione sincerely believed that this accident really was her fault.

"I came looking for the Troll because I... I thought I could deal with it by myself. You know, I'd read about them in books, so I knew a lot about them." She told the professors a colossal lie.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd definitely be dead by now..."

She intended to confess to everything!

The person least likely to break the school rules had actually lied and claimed she'd broken them to get the others out of trouble!

Harry and Ron found this so unbelievable that, for a moment, they forgot they were still being scolded by the professors.

"Oh—if that's the case..." Professor McGonagall looked at them and said thoughtfully. "Miss Granger, you silly girl, how could you think you could take on a Troll as big as a mountain all by yourself?"

Hermione lowered her head and couldn't say a word.

And in the increasingly tense atmosphere, Glenn's voice rang out in the classroom.

"So the Troll wasn't brought here for the Sorting Ceremony?"